General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Plant Height: 36 to 48 inches
Plant Spread: 36 to 48 inches
Leaves: Unusual foliage color
Fruit: Showy
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Blue
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Uses: Will Naturalize
Dynamic Accumulator: Nitrogen fixer
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Hummingbirds
Other Beneficial Insects: Ladybugs
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Rabbit Resistant
Humidity tolerant
Salt tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Stratify seeds
Scarify seeds
Suitable for wintersowing
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Containers: Not suitable for containers
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil
Awards and Recognitions: RHS AGM
Other: 2011 Great Plant Picks award winner. 2010 Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year

Image
Common names
  • Blue Wild Indigo
  • Blue False Indigo
  • Wild Indigo
  • Wild Blue Indigo
  • False Indigo

Photo Gallery
Location: Belarus
Date: 2022-07-16
foto of our garden
Photo by SongofJoy
Location: my garden, Utah
Date: 2014-12-07

Date: 2020-07-18
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date: 2021-05-21
Location: Terrace, rear, shade (until the tree came down - now sunny)
Date: 2013-0602
Adapted quickly, as the photo shows, from shade to sun
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-05-18
Photo by molanic
Location: Orangeburg, SC
Date: 2014-05-31
Baptisia Australis leaves
Location: Eagle Bay, New York
Date: 2022-07-03
Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis) blooming

Date: 2017-05-28
Location: West Jefferson, North Carolina
Date: 2022-05-30

Courtesy Outsidepride
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: KALAMA WA
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: my garden in Dawsonville, GA (zone 7b north Geogia mountains)
Date: 2022-07-01

Date: 2021-10-15
Seed pods ready for storing.
Location: Charleston, SC
Date: 2021-04-22
at Hampton Park
Location: My Garden
Date: 2013-06-27
Location: My garden in Bark River, MI
Date: June 2010
#Pollination
Location: z5a, Smith College Botanical Garden
Date: 2012-05-27
Location: z5a, Smith College Botanical Garden
Date: 2012-05-27
Location: all photos from my garden
Date: 2011-05-11
Location: NC
Date: Sep 14, 2010 1:24 PM
Location: Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, ON, Canada
Date: 2014-06-05
Location: Terrace garden right side, rear.
Date: 2012-0904
Location: Terrace, rear, shade (until the tree came down - now sunny)
Date: 2012-0904
Love the seedpods and how they rattle in the breeze!
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-05-22
Location: Newby Hall garden, Ripon, Yorkshire UK
Date: 2022-05-15

Date: 2007-06-07
Image Courtesy of Bloomin Designs Nursery Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Lake Nebagamon, WI
Date: 2017-12-24
Location: Charleston, SC
Date: 2021-04-22
at Hampton Park
Location: Whetstone Park of Roses, Columbus OH USA
Date: 2016-06-25

Date: June
credit: John Cameron
Location: my garden, Utah
Date: 2014-12-07
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA, Zone 6b
Date: 2018-07-02
Location: West border
Date: June
Location: Riverview, Robson, B.C. 
Date: 2006-05-31
 7:50 pm. Long, tall blue spires, which in turn bear black seed p
Location: Riverhead, NY
Date: 2017-06-24
Photo by Anderwood
Location: Concord, NC zone 7
Date: 2017-05-05
Location: Lilburn, GA
Date: 2023-08-12
Location: IL
Date: 2011-07-31
Location: Apple Valley MN
Date: 2019-07-18
Location: Terrace garden left side, rear.
Date: 2005-0719
Seed pods turn black in time.
Location: Terrace, rear, shade
Date: 2013-0602
Location: Terrace, rear, shade
Date: 2010-0531
Backlit
Location: my front yard
Date: 2012-05-08
Baptisia australis with Red Charm peony and misc.
Location: Lenore, ID
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2016-05-23

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy

Date: 2021-10-15
Large, hard shelled, dark brown seed pods.
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-07-03
Location: Washington
Date: 2015-10-21
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-05-19
Location: My Garden
Date: 2013-06-27
Location: Concord, NC zone 7
Date: 2016-04-13
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: oct 30th late fall

Courtesy of Diane's Flower Seeds
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA, Zone 6b
Date: 2018-07-02
Location: Indiana  zone 5
Date: 2016-05-22
Location: Kalama, Wa
Date: 2010-06-20
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: my garden in Dawsonville, GA
Date: 2021-05-10
Location: Concord, NC zone 7
Date: 2017-05-05
Location: My Garden
Date: 2013-07-24
Location: Denver Metro CO
Date: 2014-06-10
Early morning light.  May Night Salvia is backdropped
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-05-18
Location: Terrace, rear, shade (until the tree came down - now sunny)
Date: 2012-0612
Backlit
Location: Terrace, rear, shade
Date: 2013-0507
Emerging in spring with an old lampshade (pinned to the earth) fo

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Fairfax, Virginia (May 2022)
Date: 2022-05-25
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2020-04-18
Location: The Natural State (Arkansas)
Date: 2020-07-03

Date: 2014-01-23
Photo courtesy of Santa Rosa Gardens. Used with permission.
Location: Smith College Botanical Garden
Date: 2011-08-02
Location: my garden, Zone 7b, NC
Date: 2012-04-10
In bud
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-05-20
Location: my garden in Dawsonville, GA (zone 7b north Geogia mountains)
Date: 2022-04-17
Location: Orangeburg, SC
Date: 2015-06-12
Blue False Indigo Plant

Photo courtesy of Select Seeds

Courtesy Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Washington state
Date: 2015-10-21
Location: Smith College Botanical Garden
Date: 2011-08-02
Location: Des Plaines, IL
Location: z5a, Smith College Botanical Garden
Date: 2012-05-27
Location: Kalama, Wa
Date: 2010-06-22
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: my garden in Dawsonville, GA
Date: 2021-05-10
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-05-19
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-05-24
Location: Missouri Botanical Garden (Mobot) in St Louis
Date: 2016-06-18

Image Courtesy of Bloomin Designs Nursery Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by vic
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by Catmint20906 (PNW WA half hour south of Olympia - Zone 8a) on Aug 2, 2014 8:59 PM concerning plant:
    Baptisia australis is a larval host plant for the Wild Indigo Duskywing Skipper Butterfly, and Henry's Elfin Butterfly.

    This plant has special value to native bees and bumblebees, and reportedly attracts a variety of beneficial insects to the garden, including hoverflies, parasitic mini-wasps, ladybugs, and pirate, damsel, and big-eyed bugs. These beneficial insects consume a variety of common garden pests including: aphids, armyworms, codling moths, European corn borer, flies, gypsy moths, cabbageworms, mealybugs, soft scales, spider mites, leaf hopper nymph, thrips, insect eggs, tarnished plant bugs, and treehoppers.
  • Posted by gardengus (Indiana Zone 5b) on Feb 9, 2014 4:57 PM concerning plant:
    Once established, it is a long-lived perennial, but it is hard to propagate or transplant.
    The plant in my garden has been there 12+ years . I have tried several times to germinate the seeds with very little success. I also have lost many seedlings dug from another's garden.

    The seed pods, which were used by native Americans as baby rattles, turn black and have a very pleasant rattle when dried. Sometimes called rattlepod or rattlebush. Also called false blue indigo because the flowers were used to produce a blue dye.

    Blooms early here and is much loved by the bees.
  • Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Jan 22, 2014 10:28 AM concerning plant:
    This plant has a very deep taproot. It does not transplant well once established.
  • Posted by Skiekitty (Denver Metro - Zone 5a) on Jun 11, 2014 11:17 AM concerning plant:
    Planted this 3 years ago (2011). This is the first time it's ever bloomed and I'm not disappointed. Beautiful!
  • Posted by Zazinnia (SC - Zone 8a) on May 27, 2016 6:30 PM concerning plant:
    Had to use an ax to try to get a small piece to share. For me, bloom is beautiful but brief. The foliage is nice throughout the summer.
Plant Events from our members
gardengus On May 16, 2016 Bloomed
piksihk On November 7, 2015 Plant Ended (Removed, Died, Discarded, etc)
piksihk On April 28, 2015 Seeds germinated
piksihk On April 15, 2015 Seeds sown
wet towel & baggie
aspenhill On April 23, 2014 Obtained plant
North Creek Nursery - qty 32; TG, X-CC
christine2 On May 1, 2008 Obtained plant
1 <
Penelope7 On June 5, 2021 Plant Ended (Removed, Died, Discarded, etc)
Would love to have seeds for this.
lovesblooms On March 1, 2020 Seeds sown
winter sow
lovesblooms On March 3, 2018 Seeds sown
indoors
antsinmypants On May 2, 2023 Plant emerged
Seedlings starting to emerge.
antsinmypants On March 2, 2023 Seeds sown
WS several.
paleohunter On August 28, 2022 Obtained plant
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